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Chapter 5

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It was normal for members of the team to not come into work on their days off or when they were sick, but everyone at the lab knew better than to play hooky. So when Greg didn't come in the next night and no one had heard from him, the rest of the crew began to worry.

"I know that it's Greg, but what if something happened to him?"

"I wouldn't go that far yet, Sara. Not until we know for sure that he's not just hiding out somewhere. He was kind of freaked out about the idea of Vivian coming after us," Nick reminded her. "He's still in training. He hasn't seen or experienced a lot of what we have."

"Just to be sure, why don't you call him, Nick?" Catherine suggested. "Sara, go check out the usual places he hangs out, including Jackie's area. Warrick, I know it's a stretch, but talk to Brass. See if he knows anything."

When the "kids" had left on their mission, "Mommy" decided to talk to "Daddy."

"What happened, Gil?" she shouted as soon as the others were out of earshot.

"How the hell should I know what happened? He could be anywhere!" Grissom shrugged his shoulders as if to prove his innocence.

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it, so don't play stupid with me! You know that never works! You won't even look at each other, let alone talk to one another. What did you do to her?"

"Nothing! I simply told her that it would probably be a good idea for her to find somewhere else to stay for safety reasons."

Catherine sighed her what-were-you-thinking sigh.

"What did I do now?" Grissom asked dejectedly.

"Grissom, when she was shot, you wouldn't leave her side for a second. When her apartment burned and she came back from the dead, so to speak, you took her in when she had no where else to go. You've let her know that you care, and as strange as it sounds, you let her in. Now, you've kicked her out, and I'm thinking that she feels like she's been either betrayed or completely rejected." Catherine felt as though she were explaining something to a five-year-old.

"How could she fell betrayed?" Grissom near shouted, exhausted and amazed at how much brainpower it took to figure out Sara. "I just want her to be safe! That doesn't mean I love her any less!"

"Gil, did you ever stop to think that maybe the safest place she knows is with you?" Catherine shouted back.

"Cath, I can't find-" Nick started from the door.

"Not now!" Catherine yelled as she turned and slammed the break room door in his face.

Turning back to Grissom, she continued. "Gil, you can only do this so many times before she leaves for good!"

"If she's so sure that she's been betrayed and rejected, then why doesn't she just leave?" The bitterness in his voice scared Catherine. "God knows she's thought of doing just that who knows how many times." He plopped down in a chair, holding his head in his hands.

"More than I can count, but thinking isn't doing, Gil." Catherine sat in the chair beside him, wondering how he could be so emotionally inept.

"Did you know she got offered a position at the FBI? In their forensics lab?" she asked, softer now.

His head snapped up. "When?"

"Three years ago. Obviously, she turned them down."

"That's the best lab in the country—hell, in the world. Why would she turn them down?"

Catherine scoffed. "And lose the chance to have the one man she's ever truly loved? You don't know her as well as I thought. Gil, she loves you more than anything, and has for years. We've all seen it, time and again. I don't know why you haven't figured it out. She stayed because of you and she kept the letter to remind her of that. She keeps it in her purse. I've seen her pull it out several times over the last three years."

Grissom sighed. "Really?"

"Really. She keeps it to remind herself that she chose to stay here, that she wanted to stay here."

"But why? Why would she choose this place over the best the world has to offer?"

"Because I have family here."

Catherine and Grissom turned to see Sara standing in the doorway, her arms folded across her chest. Grissom looked her in the eye, wondering how long she'd been standing there, not having heard the door open, but knowing better than to say anything. The look on her face was all business.

"And right now, it's not looking too good," she continued after a moment's silence. "This family is in trouble."

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When Sara finally led Catherine and Grissom back to the conference room, it was evident if only by the looks on the others' faces that something was wrong.

"We can't find him anywhere," Nick told them. "Brass put out an APB for Vivian and has given out information on Greg in case anyone spots him."

"I found this on his locker." Sara held up a small piece of paper with some scribbling on it. "I looked up the verse, and…"

Grissom took the paper from her and read. "Jeremiah 48:7. 'Because you have trusted in your wealth and skill, you will be taken captive.'"

"Oh, God," Catherine sighed, falling into a chair.

A similar felling passed around the room. The team may have thought Greg annoying, but he held a place in each of their hearts. Always eager to help, he balanced out the seriousness of the rest of the team with his youth and energy. Now, an unsettling silence and a deep feeling of loss filled the room, similar to when the crew had lost Holly Gribbs, as they all took in the endless possibilities.

The silence was broken when Grissom suddenly called out to the others. "We need to check his house."

"What?" Warrick finally managed to speak.

"We need to check his house, his car, the lab, the locker room, anywhere he could have been when he was taken. Maybe there's some clue as to where he is."

"But he could have been anywhere," Sara whined.

"Then we better get going."

With that, their fearless leader was out the door.

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